Electrode holder



June 24 1924. 1,498,582

c. w. soDERBERG ELECTRODE HOLDER Filed Jan. 24. 1921 s sham-sneer 1 C/ayl Wllhelm Sder lerg/By 'At rneys.

ELEcTRoDz HOLDER Filed'Jan. 24. 1921 s sheets-sheet 2 June 24, 1924. l, 4 1,498,582

' c. w. SODERBERG ELEGTRODE HOLDER Filed Jan. 24. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 1g 8 KIZ f1 u u u I4 /5 I5 b 4 J mm3 Carl /Vilhelm Slerberg7 By @Q Hornys.

Patented June 24, 13924.

uNiTEDsTATEs PATENT oFFicE.

l, CARL' WILHELM SDERBERG, 0F' CHRISTIANLA, NORWAY, ASSIGNR TO DET N ORSKE AKTIESELSKAB FOR ELEKTROKEMISK BUSINESS niv'iI'TY.

INDUSTRI, OF CHRISTIANLA, NORWIA.Y, A

nnne'rnonn HOLDER.

Application le January 24, 1.921. Serial No. 439,653.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL WILHELM SDERT BERG, a subject of the King of Norway, and a resident of Christiania, Kingdom of Nor'- way, have inventedtccrtain new and useful Improvements in Electrode Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The invention forming the subject-matter of this `application is especially designed for holding large electrodes such as are used in electric furnaces, and, while capable of use with such electrodes generally, has for its special purpose its use with electrodes of such class made and used in accordance with the disclosure of applications filed in the.

United States Patent Oiiice by C. W. Sderberg on the 4th day of December 1917 (Sr. No. 205,416) and on the .8th day of September 1919 (Sr. No. 322,840), and the invention is here shown and described in connection with the electrode of the last named application. The electrodes described in the said two applications are built up outside of the furnace from time to time, as they are fed into the furnace, and at a rate determined by the consumption of the furnace ends thereof in use. The lpresent holder is therefore designed with a vlew of firmly supporting the electrode between the feed intervals and having its hold on the electrode readily released to a limited and proper eX- tent when it is desired to feed, to allow the electrode to slowly slide down under lthe control of the braking effect of the partially released holder. To this end the contact surface between the electrode and the holder is made large, this being also of value in decreasing the density of the heating current per square unit of the surface,which is 40 fed to the electrode through the holder,

and the parts are so arranged that the electrode is held by the friction between it and the holder, and not by interlocking projections on thc holder and electrode. The latter construction would prevent control during feed. V

For the purposes stated my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of which it is composed, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding parts are designated by corresponding marks of reference.

lFigure 1 is a vertical section'through a furnace equipped with this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken at right angles thereto.

Figures 3 and 4 are horizontal sections through an electrode and a holder, the lat- Y ter being constructed in accordance'with this invention and the sections being taken on lines III-III and IV-IV, respectively, of Figure 5.

Figure 5'is an elevation of such an electrode and holder, parts being broken away for purposes of illustration.

Figure 6' is a horizontal section taken on lines VI-VI of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is aside elevation of one of the jaws of the holder, showing the attachment of the strapv and conducting bands.

Figure 8 is a vertical section of another modification of the holder.

Figure 9 is a horizontal section taken on lines VII-VII of Figure 8.

yAs shown'in thedrawings the furnace 1 has erected above it, -on a framed superstructure 2, a housing 3, while the electrodes 4 project into the furnace. The electrodes are of the type disclosed in the Sderberg application, Sr.v No. 322,840, above referred to, that is, are shown as including a metallic sectional mantle 4a surrounding the carbonaceous core of the electrode. In the use of such electrodes a mantle section is added to the upper end of the electrode, from time to time, as the electrode is fed to the furnace and such mantle section is packed with raw electrode material which is baked after being added to the electrode, the baking being due to the heat of the furnace, with -or without the aid of a preliminary partial baking by the heat generated by the passage of the current through the electrode. The packing of the raw electrode mass into the mantles is conveniently done in the housing 3, which protects the operators engaged in the work vfrom the heat and fumes arising from the furnace. A description of such an electrode and of the formation of the same is shown in the Iron Age New York, April- 22, 1920, on pages 1171-117 21173.

Referring to Figures 1-7 each holder is suspended on a superstructure b a tackle 5 which directly supports a plat orm 6 surrounding the corresponding electrode above the furnace, and from which platform the remaining parts of the holder are hung by b'olts 7, the lower ends of which are connected to the conducting straps 8 8a, also surrounding the electrode. In the drawings .the conducting .straps are shown as forming polygonal closed rings and to each of their sides is connected the upper end of a clutch jaw 9 by a clutch jaw hanger strap 9a. The lower end of the jaws is surrounded by a clampring 10, the jaws having exterior shoulders 9b on their lower ends to serve as a support for the ring. 'Ifhe ring opposite each jaw receives a bushing l1a whlch is tapped to receive a clamp screw 11, the end -of which bears on such jaw and determines the radial position thereof.

Each part'of the rings and each` of 'the jaws are lprovided j with suitable passageways therethrough. One of the jaws 1s connected with the water induction pipe 12, while an adjacent jaw is connected with the water'educ-tion pipe 12a. The circuit for the water c-irculation through the jaws is completed by the pipes 13 connecting adjacent jaws and extending upwardly along the outside of the electrode, whereby sufiicient freedom of movement .is given to the adjacent jaws without straining the connection between them.- A water induction pipe 14 is connected with one en d of one of the ring sections and the Water eductionpipe 15 with the adjacent end of the other section. Thus injury to the holderfrom heat is prevented and the temperaturevof the holder is reduced. j

In order to provide a proper and equal current feed into the several jaws a supplemental conducting band 8a encircles the electrode immediately below the band 8 and both bands have bothof their ends connected tov the clamp 16 on the feeding conductor 16, 16a. The band 8 is electrically connected with all of the jaws, while the band 8a is only connected with the jaws opposite to and remote from the ends of such band, the band being either not mechanically connected with, or being insulated by the strips l8" from the other jaws. By giving the supplemental band higher conductance than theband 8 the f vcurrent flow into the several jaws willbe thus e ualized.

The igures 8 and 9 dier from those described abovein that the clamp ring 10 also serves as a conducting band and is dirctly t is suspended on the superstructure by the tackle 5. Each jaw 9 is provided with a shoulder 17 bearing on the clamp ring and being supported thereby.

With the parts. thusconstructed, when it is desired to feed an electrode, one or more of the screws 11 may be backed out slightly, reducing the pressure exerted by the jaws on the electrode, until the latter slides downwardly in the holder at a rate capable of benot necessary to shut off the current` in so doing.y j It will be noted that the specific construction shown`lv herein provides a plurality (in the specific instance 3 sets) of clampingjaws, and that the frictional resistanc-e offered to the descent ofthe electrode is the sum total of the frictional resistance due to the several pairs. Thus by releasing a jaw' of one ofthe pairs the total resistance may be reduced by an amount to the resistance of such pair. If the resistance of the remaining pairs is of proper value (which can be effected by placing proper pressure on the jaws of such other pairs), the electrodey will feed under the braking effect of the remaining pairs of jaws. vThus by using a plurality of pairs of jaws a predetermined braking effect i by a controlled slippage of the electrode is provided for.

2. In any electrode holder the combination of jaws, a ring surrounding the jaws and means carried by the ring for permitting a limited independent outward movement of the several jaws, whereby a controlled slippage of the electrode is provided for.

3. In an electrode holder the combination of a plurality of water 'cooled conductor elements and means for permitting a limited independent outward movement of said elements, whereby one or more of the said conductor elements may be 'loosened and a controlled slippage of the electrode is provided 4. In an electrode holder, the combination of a plurality of opposite sets of jaws, a ring surrounding the jaws, and means for permitting a limited independent outward-movement ofajaw of one or more of the sets of jaws, whereby a controlled slippage of the electrode is provided for.

5. In an electrode holder the combination of a watercooled ring, a plurality of watercooled conductor elements enclosed by the ring and severally connected therewith by belts, whereby one or more of the s aid conductor elements may be loosened and a controlled slippage of the electrode in the holder is provided for.

6. In an electrode holder, the combination of jaws, a ring connectin the up r ends of the jaws, a ring surroun ing the ower ends of the jaws, and means carried by the ring for permitting a limited independent outof a plurality of opposite sets of jaws, a rin surrounding the lower ends of the jaws, an

means carried by the ring'for permitting a limited independent outward movement of a jaw of one or more of the sets of jaws, whereby a controlled slippage of the electrode is provided for. Y

8. In an electrode holder, the combination of jaws, a ring connectin the upper ends of the jaws, a ring surroun ing the lower ends of the jaws, and means 'carried by the ring for permitting a .limited independent outward movement of the several jaws, whereby a controlled slippage of the electrode is provided or, and means for causing a water circulation through the jaws and clamping ring.

9. In an electrode holder, the combination with a current conducting ring, a plurality of jaws connected at their upper ends to the ring and having exterior shoulders on their lower ends, a clamping ring encircling the jaws and resting on the shoulders thereon, means carried by the clamping ring for determining the radial position of the jaws independently of each other, and means for supporting the clamping ring and thus the other parts of the holder.

10. In an electrode holder the combination with gripping jaws of current distributing means for equalizingthe feed of the current therethrough to the electrode.

11. In an electrode holder the combination with gripping jaws of a plurality of current distributing means. for equalizing the feed of the current therethrough to the electrodef 12. In anelectrode holder the combination of gripping jaws, a plurality of current distributing rings and selected connections between the rings and the jaws whereby the feed of the current to the electrode through the jaws is equalized.

' 13. In an electrode holder the combination of gripping jaws, a ring surrounding the jaws, means carried by the ring for permitting a limited independent outward movement of the several jaws, whereby a controlled slippage of the electrode is provided for, and current distributing means for equalizing the feed of the current through the jaws to the electrode.

14. In an electrode holder the combination of gripping jaws, a ring surrounding the jaws, means carried by the ring for permit-v ting a limited independent outward movement of the several jaws, whereby a c011- trolled slippage of electrode is provided for, a plurality of current distributing means, and selected connections between the distributing rings and the jaws whereby the feed of the current through the jaws t0 the electrode is equalized.

Signed at Christiania, Norway, this 31 day of December 1920.

CARL WILHELM SDRBERG. 

